草丛 (cǎo cóng) — clump of grass; thick patch of grass; (figurati…

Definition

草丛 is a small, ground-level clump of grass — smaller and lower than 丛林, which refers to a large dense forest or jungle.

noun

clump of grassthick patch of grass(figuratively) a place where grass grows thickly

Measure word · 丛

草丛，。
Māo duǒ jìn le cǎo cóng lǐ, bù kěn chū lái.
The cat hid in the clump of grass and wouldn't come out.
草丛窸窣。
cǎo cóng Zhōng chuán lái yí zhèn xī sū de shēng xiǎng.
From the grass clump came a rustling sound.
草丛。
Tā men zài cǎo cóng biān xiū xi le yí huì r.
They rested for a while beside the thick grass.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

草 gives the idea of grass, and 丛 gives a clump or thicket, so the word means a thick patch of grass.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

艹早草

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

早

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

草 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 早, which gives the sound. The form originally referred to another word and was later used for the grass sense.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 叢; 丛 is its simplified writing.

丵取叢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

丵丵zhuó

Sound part声符shēngfú

取

取qǔ叢cóng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 叢 for 丛 combines 丵 with 取, where 取 gives the sound.

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